Utility tray



Oct. l2, 1954 J. G. HElM 2,691,237

UTILITY TRAY Filed Jan. 23'. 1950 /N VEA/Tol?.

Jaco@ Gm/v/:s HEIM BY HIS HTTORNEKS.

HnRR/@K/Ec/v, Foam@ a HARRIS Y Patented Oct. 12, 1954 UTILITY TRAY Jacob Gaines Hcim, Alhambra, Calif. assignor of? one-half tol` The Calpat Corporation', Los`v Angeles,r

GalifL, a` corporation of' California Application January 23, 1950,' Serial No. 140,056

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvementsl in trays,

and, more particularly to a. tray adapted to bel mounted upon the wall of a' receptacle or upon the dividing wall between two receptacles.

. It is customary, at the present time', to equip kitchens with double sinkswhich consist of two juxtaposed basinsr divided from each other by a common dividing or' partition wall. The opposite ends of such double sinks' usually terminate adjacent tiled or linoleum` covered working surfaces but, when operations' are4 being car'- riedon in the two basins; it isv frequentlyt necessary to. support a' vessel being' cleansed or food. being washed upon the dividing partition between the two basins. Since the top ofthe dividing wall or partition is'not suiii'ciently` wide to provide a suitable working surface', recourse is frequently' had to the adjacent tiley or linoleum covered. vworking surfaces.

In addition, it is not desirable to perform certain operations', such as the scouring of pans or' the cleaning of fish and poultry on the working surfaces adjacent thed opposite ends of the sink and such operations areusually conducted in the` bottom of the basin' with consequent strain upon the back of the individual doing the scouring' or the cleansing and with generallyv unsatisfactory results;

It is; therefore, a primary object of my invention to provide a utility tray-adapted to vbe mounted upon the dividing wall between adjacent b'asins of a double sinkv which supplies an auxiliary working surface upon whichl articles being cleansed or prepared* may be supported. Although I' show and describe the utility trayof my invention asv mounted upon the dividing wallbetweentwo basins of a dou-ble sink, it is obvious that the utility' tray may' bev mounted upon` theA peripheral wall of a tub or similar'vessel', if so desired:

When dishes are being washed' in adjacent' basins of the double sink and are transferred from the washing basin to the: rinsing basin,. it occasionally happens that the dish or other utensil being transferred is struck against the` dividing wall between the basins and thus broken.

It is an additionalv object of my invention' to provide a utility tray adapted'.v to be mounted upon the dividing wall between the two basins' of avdouble sink which isv formed of. a.. resilient material such as rubber and which is' adapted to serve asl a guard1 toprevent the' breakage of dishes upon the dividing wall as'they are trans ferredfrom one basin of thesinktotheother.

A further object" of my' invention is the prow visionin afutility tray of the aforementioned type ofone or more. receptacles adapted" to receive bars. of soap or containers. for scouring powder and detergents to permit` ready access to the same. by` the user thereofl Another object of my, invention is the provisionof a utility tray of the aforementioned type which consists of, a working surface which rests upon the top of theY dividing wall' between the two basins ofthe double sink and which .includes oppositely disposed legs adapted to' engage' the opposite sides of the dividing. wall to maintain the working surface in" position uponthe' top of the dividing wall.

A further object of' my invention is the pro- `vision of a utility tray' of the aforementioned type in which the legs'thereof" are formed integrally with' the working surface' and are' sui'- ciently resilient to permit the opposite' sides' of the dividing wall between the two' basins'of the double sink' to' be en'gaged' thereby;

An additional object' of my invention is the provision of.' a' utility tray 'of theaforement'oned type in which' the legs thereof are 'provi'ded'with' securing: means' adapted to materially augment the engagement of said" legs' with" the opposite sides of the dividing wa'll between" the two' `b'asins of the' double sink;

Other' objects` and advantagesof my' invention' will be apparent from thefollowing specifica:- ti'on' and the' accompanying drawing, which is for the purpose of illustration only, and in' which:

Fig. 1 is aI perspective` view showin-g a utility tray constructed in accordance' withr my invention and mounted' upon the dividing wall be` tween the' two' basins' ofia double sink;

Fig. 2v is a vertical, sectional viewA taken onthe broken line 2-2 of Fig. 1';

Fig. ,3' is a' perspective' View'showin'g another embodiment ofv my' invention;

Fig; 4' is' a vertical sectionalviewtaken on the' broken' line Lie-4 of'Fig. 3';

Fig'. 5 is'a' fragmentary; side elevational' View of'. amodication' of-V the utilityJ tray o'f my invention;

Fig. 6"`is aV vertical; partly sectional view taken onl the broken liner 6-6of Fig. 53;

Fig. '7' is al perspective View of another em'- `o'odim'ent of' my invention; and' Fig. 8' is' a vertical', partly sectional View taken' on the broken` line 81-8 of Fig. 7.

Referring toI the drawingy and particularly' to Fig. 1 thereof, I show" a' double sink' il'iwhich includes juxtaposed basins Il and' l2 separated from-each otherbya commondividi'ng' walli4,

3 the opposite sides I5 and IIS, respectively, providing one wall of the basins Il and I2. The opposite side walls iE and i6 of the dividing wall lli terminate in a top I7 upon which rests a utility tray .ZIl constructed in accordance with my invention.

The utility tray 2li provides a substantially rectangular working surface 2i having attached thereto or integrally formed therewith oppositely disposed, downwardly extending legs 23 and 2li. The under side of the working surface 2i is so formed that its conguration is substantially identical with the configuration of the top il of the dividing wall I4 so that the utility tray rests snugly upon said top. The surface 2l of the utility tray 2i) is provided with a plurality of corrugations 2l to prevent the inadvertent dislodgement of objects disposed upon said working surface.

In order that the utility tray may serve the s additional function of acting as a guard to prevent the breakage of dishes or other utensils when accidentally struck against the dividing wall ld, l prefer to manufacture the tray of rubber or similar resilient material. When the tray is formed of rubber, the legs Eil and 2d are molded integrally therewith and possess sufficient inhei-ent resilience to cause them to intimately engage, respectively, the opposite sides I5 and I8 of the dividing wall Ill. Formed integrally in the oppositely disposed legs 2S and 2li are securing means 25 constituted, in the present instance, by suction cups Sil which, when the outsides of the legs 23 and 24 are properly compressed, serve to materially augment the engagement of said legs with the side walls i5 and I6.

' Shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing is an alternative embodiment of my invention in the description of which identical reference numerals will be utilized to describe those portions of the tray which are identical with those of the previously discussed embodiment.

The utility tray 32 of the alternative embodiment of my invention provides a working surface 2i which has integrally formed therewith or attached thereto depending legs 23 and 2d. The intermediate portion of the working surface 2l is provided with a plurality of transverse corrugations 3d and formed in opposite ends of said surface adjacent the intermediate corrugated portion thereof are receptacles 35 and 36. The receptacles 35 and 36 are designed to receive bars of soap and containers for scouring powder or detergent to be utilized in the cleaning of utensils in the double sink Iii. Communicating with the interior of the receptacle 35 is a drainage opening or channel 38 which is adapted to permit excess moisture to be drained from said receptacle.

To materially increase the width afforded by the Working surface 2l of the utility tray 32, I provide an auxiliary working surface constituted by an elongated plank or board #E having formed in the under side thereof a longitudinal groove or channel lll which is adapted to receive the working surface 2i of the utility tray 32 to permit the i board d to be securely mounted thereupon.

Shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing are structural modifications adapted to be incorporated in the alternative embodiments of the utility tray. A plurality of diagonal channels cl2 is formed in the leg 23 of the utility tray l5 and disposed between adjacent channels d2 is a supporting means i3 constituted by a plurality of brackets Il@ formed integrally with said leg 23. As best seen in Fig, 6 of the drawing, the brackets 44 are adapted to support a cake 46 of soap or similar cleanser.

Formed integrally with the opposite side of the utility tray 45 is a bar di which is suitably reinforced by reinforcing means IIS and which is adapted to support a dishcloth or other cleaning implement. The lower portion of the reinforcing means 48 extends downwardly into the leg 24 of the utility tray I5 and constitutes, since the reinforcing means i8 is formed of spring wire stock, a securing means 49 which is adapted to cause the inward movement of the leg 24 to materially augment the engagement of said leg with the side IS of the dividing wall I4 between the basins I i and I2 of the double sink i0. Although only one securing means 49 is shown, it is obvious that additional securing means may be molded integrally in the oppositely disposed leg 23.

Another embodiment of my invention is shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawing and consists in a utility tray 5i which provides a substantially cupshaped working surface 52 which has attached to the under side thereof or formed integrally therewith legs 53 and 54. The cup-shaped working surface 52 may be used as a receptacle for garbage scraped from plates about to be washed and may also be used as a depository for unwanted portions of vegetables and other produce cleaned in the sink Ill. Provided at the base of the cup-shaped working surface 52 is a plurality of drainage openings 5S which are adapted to permit the drainage of liquids contained in the discarded 'material into the basins il and I2. When a sufficient amount of discarded material has collected in the cup-shaped portion 52 of the utility tray Si, it may be removed from its position on the dividing wall l to permit the materials contained therein to be placed in a proper receptacle.

I thus provide by my invention a utility tray which offers an auxiliary working surface to permit the cleaning of utensils, food products and other devices and materials thereupon. In addition, the utility tray when formed of a suitable resilient material, serves as a guard to prevent the breakage of utensils upon the dividing wall upon which it is mounted. By another embodi ment of my utility tray I also provide an auxiliary working surface which is adapted to receive discarded materials and to act as a temporary receptacle therefor while permitting the drainage of fluids from the materials as they remain in the receptacle.

Although I have shown and described preferred embodiments of my invention for the purpose of illustrating the construction and mode of utilization of my invention, it is obvious that changes, alterations and modifications may be made in the details of construction and I, therefore, do not desire to be limited to such specific details but prefer, rather, to be alforded the full scope of the claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A sink guard mountable on the transverse wall between the basins of a two-basin sink including a working surface, said working surface being of elongated rectangular coniiguration and having formed integrally therewith a pair of resilient legs which depend therebelow and have root portions whose transverse dimensions are substantially twice the dimensions of their extreme lowermost ends, the vertical lengths of said legs being substantially greater than the transverse dimension of said working surface and the inner sides of said legs engaging the entire underlying surfaces of the opposite sides of said wall, at least one of said legs being provided with an auxiliary spring member embedded therein, said spring member extending upwardly into the underside of said working surface and projecting laterally therefrom to define a hanger for dishcloths or similar articles, and at least one of said legs being provided with a laterally extending seat to constitute an auxiliary receptacle thereupon.

2. In a sink guard construction, the combination of: a sink having a continuous peripheral wall and a transverse wall extending between oppositely disposed portions of said peripheral wall to dene a pair of basins on opposite sides of said transverse wall; and a sink guard mounted on said transverse wall between said basins, said sink guard including a working surface of elongated, rectangular configuration having a pair of resilient legs integrally formed therewith and depending therebelow, the root portions of said legs having transverse dimensions substantially twice the dimensions of their extreme lowermost ends and the vertical lengths of said legs being substantially greater than the transverse dimension of said working surface to permit said legs to terminate closely adjacent the bottom of said transverse Wall, While the inner sides of said legs engage the entire underlying surfaces of the opposite sides of said Wall, at least one of said legs being provided with an auxiliary spring member embedded therein, said spring member extending upwardly into the underside of said working surface and projecting laterally therefrom to dene a hanger for dishcloths or similar articles, and at least one of said legs being provided with a laterally extending seat to constitute an auxiliary receptacle thereupon.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,854,987 Fradl Apr. 19, 1932 1,986,935 Levine Jan. 8, 1935 2,045,965 Rosen June 30, 1936 2,218,271 Sodeberg Oct. 15, 1940 2,542,369 Steendahl Feb. 20, 1951 

